New Delhi, Oct 11: India on Sunday rejected concerns raised by the United Nations Human Rights Office over the mass detention of protesters, civil society members, lawyers and journalists in Delhi, calling them “unwarranted” and an “unacceptable interference” in the country’s internal affairs. In a statement issued a day after the UN office flagged the detentions during large-scale demonstrations in the national capital, India said the right to peaceful assembly was guaranteed by the Constitution and safeguarded by democratic institutions, an independent judiciary and a free media.

“As in every democracy, Indian citizens exercise this right subject to the maintenance of public order and safety. “The OHCHR’s concerns are therefore unwarranted and constitute an unacceptable interference in the internal affairs of India,” it added.

“Such double standards only erode the credibility of its standing and contribute to the loss of faith in multilateralism,” the statement said. The response followed remarks by UN Human Rights spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan, who, on Saturday, expressed concern over reports of mass detentions before and during large-scale demonstrations in Delhi.

“We are concerned by reports of mass detentions in India of demonstrators, protest leaders, members of civil society organisations, lawyers and journalists,” Al-Kheetan said. He called on Indian authorities to ensure that the right to peaceful assembly was fully respected and fulfilled, stressing that restrictions on peaceful protests must meet strict tests of necessity and proportionality.

The UN office also called for the immediate and unconditional release of all those it described as arbitrarily detained and urged the authorities to engage in meaningful dialogue to address protesters’ concerns. The detentions took place on Saturday as protesters sought to reach Jantar Mantar for a demonstration demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Delhi Police detained about 7000 people at multiple locations, including opposition leaders and members of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which had called for the protest. The authorities imposed extensive security measures to prevent demonstrators from reaching the protest site.